Tech Ranked No. 5 in Perfect Game Preseason Poll

LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech will begin the 2019 season ranked fifth in the Perfect Game preseason poll, the publication announced Wednesday as part of its college baseball preview.

This is the second preseason top-five ranking already for the Red Raiders as Collegiate Baseball Newspaper tabbed Tech at No. 4 in its preseason poll that was released on Dec. 18.

It marks the second-straight year Texas Tech has been slotted in the top-five by Perfect Game. Overall, it is the fifth-straight year the Red Raiders have posted a preseason Top 25 ranking.

After starting 2018 at No. 4 in the Perfect Game preseason poll, Tech navigated through their slate to its fourth-straight 45-plus win season behind a 45-20 record, including a 15-9 conference mark en route to a No. 9 national seed. The Red Raiders returned to the College World Series for the third time in five years last season.

Now in his seventh year as head coach, head coach Tim Tadlock returns 16 letterwinners from last year’s squad, including All-American third baseman Josh Jung and Freshman All-American Gabe Holt.

The publication also released its 2019 Preseason All-America teams on Tuesday with Texas Tech representing the Big 12 as the league’s only school with a first team member. The nod went to junior third baseman Josh Jung, who has landed on the first team of both preseason All-America lists thus far.

Six teams on Tech’s 2019 schedule were represented in the poll, including nonconference foes Mississippi State (No. 17), Michigan (No. 19) and Duke (No. 20). The Red Raiders are the highest-ranked Big 12 team in the poll.

The Red Raiders open the season with an eight-game home stand, featuring a four-game series against Oregon starting Friday, Feb. 15, at Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park. The home stand continues against Kentucky Feb. 22-24 followed by a Feb. 26 tilt against New Mexico State.